Interview With Mark Rutledge, Kentucky CIOCommissioner Mark Rutledge discusses some of the challenges and accomplishments of the Commonwealth Office of Technology in an interview with the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).

No Child Left Offline is Kentucky's award-winning program in which surplus computers are refurbished and distributed to middle school students who otherwise would have no home access to the world of online information and communication. This program puts quality computers in the homes of students that need them most. Through the support of public and private partners, No Child Left Offline is bringing Kentuckians into the Information Age.

Launched in January 2006 by Gov. Fletcher as part of Kentucky’s Prescription for Innovation, this initiative is the most comprehensive of its kind undertaken by any state in the nation. The program is ensuring that hundreds, and eventually thousands, of usable computers are saved from landfills and used for the benefit of Kentucky families.

ConnectKentucky, a nonprofit organization that promotes technology-based economic development in the commonwealth, is coordinating the project with operational support from the Kentucky Department for Commercialization and Innovation and the Governor’s Office for Local Development. Additional state support is provided by the Education Cabinet, the Commonwealth Office of Technology, Kentucky Correctional Industries and the University of Louisville. Microsoft Corporation™, CA, Inc. and Lexmark International provide software and printers to the project.

A Tally of Computers Provided by No Child Left Offline

Techlines Trivia Question of the Month

Question: In what year was Kentucky's first identity theft legislation passed?

Answer: The Kentucky legislature passed "an act to punish cheats and false personations of others" on February 7, 1843. Anyone who shall "fraudulently represent or personate another" in marrying, becoming bail or surety in any civil or criminal proceeding, confess any judgment, acknowledge the conveyance of any real estate, or do any other act by which a person would incur any financial obligation was to be punished by imprisonment for up to five years. Receiving any property or money under an assumed name would be punished to the same extent. Obtaining the signature of anyone under false pretenses was to be punished by imprisonment for up to three years.